Melody
by MikazukiDreams
Summary: It takes two encounters for her to tilt his world on its axis, and to make him believe.


**Summary: **It takes two encounters for her to tilt his world on its axis, and to make him believe.

_**Standard disclaimer applies here**_

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**Melody**

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_Be the one in a seven billion._

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The first time he sees her is by the arts academy, staring longingly through the window. Her large, curious emerald eyes glance with upmost yearning, a tiny, sad smile plastered on her petit, porcelain face. The wind is freezing cold, rustling the leaves and the sky is turning dark, but she doesn't seem to notice. A thin track jacket and gray sweatpants are the only things shielding her thin figure from the cold, and the large, worn-out brown messenger bag slung over her shoulders seemed to weigh her down.

She's so immersed in the loveliness of the tall prestigious building that she fails to see him walk by. He doesn't know what it is that makes her so _unique_- maybe it was the long, pale pink hair that cascaded down her back. Or maybe it was her slim, perfect figure…but whatever it was, it made him draw his eyes to her.

He watches as her fists tighten on the strap of her bag as she looks up at the building with sad, hopeful eyes.

Shoving his hands in his pockets, he strolls on. He doesn't know why he even stopped in the first place. He was a cold, heartless bastard, and he didn't just stop for random girls with pink hair and sad eyes.

Plus, he doesn't want to be late for Ino's recital- Shikamaru would kill him.

-x-

She's one of those unforgettable people you see, once in a while. He never thought he would see her ever again, but he does. This time, though, it's not by Konoha Arts Academy.

It's at the grocery store.

Her hair is tied up this time in a high, messy ponytail, with a couple loose strands framing her tiny face. She's wearing plaid this time, a loose red-and-white plaid button-up tucked into black skinny jeans, different from the black and gray covering her that cold autumn day a month ago.

A green apron with a white nametag covers her clothes, but he doesn't get close enough to see what it says, even with his sharp eyesight. He doesn't get too close, but he's close enough to hear her talk and see her dazzling smile. Of course, she still doesn't realize him staring again.

He feels eyes on him, but he still looks at her.

He notes that she looks different this time. Replacing the sad, yearning look in her eyes is a friendly brightness that makes her mint green eyes shine. It's the kind of brightness he doesn't possess, but his idiot of a best friend does- Naruto. It's the kind of look that attracts people and makes you approachable.

Her pink lips are stretched into a pretty smile, and it lights up her entire face. She talking to a customer and her eyes are focused and her smile is genuine. When the customer says something funny, she throws her head back and lets out a feathery laugh.

It's a beautiful sound.

It reminds him of a soft, gentle lullaby. The sound is mesmerizing. And when she speaks, he's blown away again.

"Thank you for your help," the customer says, an elderly lady with a small smile. "A pretty lady like you should be on TV, much less a store like this!"

Her voice is soft and sweet, like honey. A pretty red blush dusts her cheeks, and she smiles brightly. "Why, thank you!" she says, eyes shining. "To be honest, I don't mind it here. The boss is very kind and he pays me well. I need every cent to achieve my dreams, you know?"

And when she says that, he wonders if her dreams have anything to do with a tall, prestigious glass building and the name that comes with it- Konoha Arts Academy.

-x-

He hears her before he sees her, the third time.

She's singing, a beautiful voice that takes his breath away. It's light and soft and daring and strong all at the same time. He feels himself falling in bliss at the sound of her voice.

It lures him in, and he pushes towards the growing crowd of admirers and sees her.

There's an open case on the ground beside her, already filled and still filling with coins and bills. Then there's her.

An old wooden guitar strapped is across her shoulders and her fingers are strumming along gracefully as she sings along. It's a song he's never heard of before, but even then he's sure she wrote it herself. There's a fiery determination in her eyes, because _god she wants her dream and she will fight to get it. _

She's a beauty to see and even a greater beauty to hear. This time, she's wearing a fuzzy old sweater and black leggings, feet tucked away in little brown boots. It's chilly outside, but the people still stay and the crowd still cheers and she still _sings, _with all her might and it's clear that she sings from the bottom of her heart. There's more than just talent in this girl, he realizes. There's a blooming passion. There's love laced in her voice. There's want and need and so much determination that he just stares.

Here he was, the heir of the prestigious Uchiha Corporation, standing on a busy street. But for the first time, the eyes aren't on him.

No, they're on a pretty girl with long, flowing pink hair and passion laced in her words.

He isn't surprised.

And once again, she doesn't see him. He merges in the crowd and slips every cent in his wallet to her open case.

-x-

He doesn't see her again.

Somewhere deep inside, he hopes and wishes for more coincidences, for more accidents where he'll see her again. He strolls by the street where he heard her sing for the very first time, hoping to catch a glance. He goes to the grocery store every week, hoping to see her smile. He drives by the academy, once a week, hoping to see her there.

But he doesn't.

He doesn't know why he cares so much. She was just a random girl on the street.

But deep down, he knows it isn't true. She wasn't just some random girl on the street. She wasn't just some random coincidence.

She was _fate. _

She didn't know him, and he barely knew her, but somehow she shifted his world. Made him understand and believe in fate and hope and everything that died inside him a long, long time ago.

He's so wrapped up in his thoughts (something that rarely happens) that he fails to see Naruto slip in his office with concerned cerulean blue eyes.

"Oi, teme. Is something wrong?" the blonde asks, and he curses himself for being such an open book, even if the blonde was his best friend.

"No," he sighs, rubbing his temples.

Naruto looks at him skeptically, but then shrugs. "Okay. Well, Ino texted me and asked you to go to the academy tonight. She's got a surprise for all of us," Naruto finishes, and grins broadly. "What about it, huh? You coming along?"

_Konoha Arts Academy._

His mind plunges back into the first time he saw her, by the window. Unconsciously, he finds himself thinking about her again. Did she finally reach her dreams? Where was she now?

"Hey. Teme? You okay?"

Snapping out of his reverie, he nods. "Yeah. Yeah, tell Ino I'll be there."

"Yes!" Naruto grins, before running out of his office. "See you tonight then, teme!"

-x-

It takes him a while before he exits his car to go inside the academy. The nostalgia of the first meeting hits him like a wave, and the regret of never catching her name or talking to her personally haunts him. Why did he walk by as if she, the one in a seven billion, wasn't important? As if she didn't tilt his perfectly constructed world on its axis without knowing it?

Emitting a loud sigh, he walks in.

After this, he concludes, he will go home and he will try to _forget. _

-x-

Ino greets all of them- Shikamaru, Hinata, Naruto, Kiba, and himself- with excitement. As she leads them into the dark, completely and utterly _packed_ auditorium, she chats excitedly of her new friend, a newcomer to Konoha Arts Academy. Apparently her friend would be performing today, and Ino wanted them all to meet this new girl.

He doesn't think much of it until the lights dimmed and the girl took the stage.

His breath catches in his throat.

It's _her. _

-x-

_Stop it, _he thinks to himself, squeezing his eyes shut, grateful his friends couldn't see his internal struggle in the dark. _Stop it. You're just hallucinating. It's a trick of the light._

He feels disappointment swell in his chest as he pointedly refuses to glance at the stage.

But when the girl starts singing, his heart thumps. Beats feverishly, because _oh my god it can't be anybody else but…_

…Her.

-x-

The stage is shining brightly, but she shines brighter. _This is true art,_ he muses, as he watches her with hope blossoming in his chest and stars in his cold eyes.

Her beautiful voice melts the ice barricade around his heart, with every soft note she belts out to the adoring crowd.

The stage is her canvas and her voice is the brush, painting hopes and dreams and passion and love into the hearts of the audience- from the old to the young, from the rebels to the jocks, from the homeless to the rich.

She's that one in a seven billion.

-x-

It is not until after when he finally meets her.

He is the last of his friends to greet her, but he does not mind. His heart is thumping furiously and he is so close to smiling, smiling for the sake of fate and _her, _that he does not want Naruto nearby to tease him.

She's so close, close enough to touch, and he smells her wonderful scent- of strawberries and vanilla. Her eyes are a vibrant green, finally looking at him, noticing him. Her lips are curved into a lovely smile, only for him.

He opens his mouth to speak, but she beats him to it.

"You're the boy at the grocery store," she smiles. "And at the academy. And you were the boy that gave me one thousand dollars that day, when I was singing on the street."

He ignores the raised eyebrows of his eavesdropping friends.

Her words sink in, and he's rendered speechless, because she _did _notice him.

She looks down, blushing. "I wanted to say thank you, but you were already gone. So, um," she looks up, meeting his eyes, "Thank you."

There's a tug at his lips, and he finds himself _smiling, _for the first time in months. "Aa."

She sticks out her hand, warm and welcoming. "I'm Sakura, by the way. Sakura Haruno."

He grips her hand, and did he imagine that blush that painted her ivory cheeks? "Sasuke Uchiha."

She doesn't know him well enough yet, he decides, but he will change that. Starting right this second, because he'd be damned if he let her slip through his fingers again. He will meet this girl that captured his heart with her voice and her passion. He will know this all-too-pretty girl standing before him, inside and out, because she's the one.

"Would you like to join me for dinner?" he asks, and he's instantly rewarded with the sight of widened green eyes and a pretty blush.

"Sure," Sakura answers brightly, tucking in a strand of hair behind her ear shyly and falling into step beside him as he walks towards his car.

The sky is clear, and a gentle breeze rustles through the trees. There's a full moon outside.

_It's time for change._

-x-

"Oi. Teme? TEME WHERE ARE YOU GOING? HEY! HEY DON'T YOU WALK AWAY FROM ME! HEY! WHERE ARE YOU TAKING SAKURA-CHAN?!"

_**Fin.**_

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**Note: **I was in a music mode. Tell me what you think!

-A


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